This small Adaptec utility isnít bundled with the DuoConnect but it can be
downloaded free of charge from Adaptecís website. The purpose of Adaptec
USBControl is to display the exact number of USB devices connected to your
computer and their nature. When you start USBControl a compact window will
appear listing all the USB devices plugged to the PC (including those which
are connected to the native USB controller of your PC). Near each USB device
entry thereís an icon representing its nature (mouse, game controllers, hard
disk, modem, camera, etc.), the number (or letter) of the port/hub the
device is connected to, as well as a green icon that blinks each time the
USB device sends data to the computer. With this neat feature you know when
the USB hard disk is in use so you donít have to crawl under your desk to
see it! Not only can you customize the compact view to display information
about only one device but you can also change the icon assigned to a USB
device.

Adaptec USBControl Small View

Advanced
users will appreciate the expert view; USBControl can display a diagram of
your current configuration representing your computer, its USB controllers,
the hubs connected to it and the devices connected. With this view you
instantly see how many USB ports are free or in use. Through the software
you can rename the name of each USB device, that way your Microsoft Wireless
IntelliMouse Explorer can be renamed in Wireless Mouse. USBControl can be
set to start at each Windows boot and can be minimized in the tray for
convenience purposes.

Adaptec USBControl (click to enlarge)

Tests

During
our tests of the Adaptec DuoConnect we didnít encounter any problems with
the card or Adaptecís drivers. Under Windows 98SE,
Windows Me, and Windows 2000
SP2,
Adaptecís USB 2.0
drivers worked like a charm and let us use Yamaha and Iomega USB 2.0
burners at their full speed. USB 1.1
burners were only able to record CDs at the maximal speed of 4x
while USB 2.0
burners can reach recording speed of 16x,
saving a huge amount of time.

The
FireWire part of the DuoConnect performed great too. USB 2.0
and FireWire devices plugged into the DuoConnect can be used at the same
time. We tested the card with various units like Iomega ZIP 250
FireWire, Epson Perfection 2450
Photo FireWire Scanner, Iomega Peerless FireWire, Iomega Predator FireWire
and Maxtor 40GB
External HD which worked just as expected. Our camcorder, a JVC GR-DVL9800e
was perfectly recognized by the card and we were able to capture and output
digital video using Pinnacle Systems Studio 7.0
or Adobe Premiere 6.0
software.

The
Adaptec DuoConnect comes bundled with the well known MGI VideoWave 4
SE software for editing your digital video; and Sonic MyDVD 3
for creating DVD, VideoCD or DVD-on-CD discs. Both of these software are
interesting and powerful, yet at the same time easy to use. They were
conceived for new byes that want to
capture, mount, and output videos painlessly, in a few mouse clicks.